Amnesty says US risks making McVeigh a martyr

The high-profile execution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh next month will send a counterproductive message to Americans and may even provoke violence, Amnesty International said today in its latest attack on capital punishment.

The lengthy report, titled United States of America: The Illusion of Control, said the US government risked making McVeigh a martyr for individuals who share his radical beliefs. It also argued that the death penalty itself may be inspiring murders instead of discouraging them.